Metal-rolling machine.



D. A. CLARK.

METAL ROLLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1916.

1 212 325, Patented Jan. 16,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- DAVID A CLHRK Momma D. A. CLARK. METAL ROLLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1916.

Patented Jan. 16,1917.

2 sHEETs-sHE ET 2.

Qwwwtom Dawn CLHRK DAVID A. CLARK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METAL-ROLLING MACHINE.

Application filed March 6, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID A. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal-Rolling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of metal rolling, and comprehends certain new and useful improvements in machines of the concave and roll type for shaping iron or steel, the present invention having to do especially with that character of machine which is disclosed by Patent No. 566,701, issued to John T. Rowley, on August 25, 1896.

The machine of the patent just mentioned, as will more fully appear by reference to the patent itself, embodies a roll mounted to rotate about a longitudinal and horizontally disposed axis in front of and spaced from a substantially vertically disposed concave, a cylindrical bar or rod of iron or steel being fed into the machine and being designed to be rolled around upon its axis through the curved pass that is formed within the space between the roll just mentioned and the concave, whereby the bar or rod will have the desired shape imparted thereto and be discharged at the bottom of the machine ready for whatever machine work might be required, according to the character of the device formed. This patented machine is intended particularly for use in forming car axles, but it is to be understood at the outset that the principles embodied in that-machine are not limited to the manufacture of car axles, andthat this invention also is not limited in that regard, but that the principles embodied herein and improvements which this invention comprise, are applicable for use in forming other articles, according to the shape or formation of the concave or dies that comprise the latter and the correlated parts of the apparatus which coact therewith.

One of the difiiculties found to be incidental to the use of the machine constructed in accordance with Patent No. 566,701, hereinbefore specified, was that in the operation of the machine the bar being treated was often found to slip or be dragged through the pass instead of continuously rolling therearound, with the result that a malformation was produced and particularly at the middle of the bar, and with that difficulty in mind, the present invention has for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 191?.

Serial No. 82,483.

its primary object to provide means whereby this difficulty will be entirely obviated, and whereby the machine will be rendered very effective and sure in its work so that all articles passed therethrough and acted upon by the machine, will be of uniform characger, without any deformation or other deect.

The invention has for a further object an improved machine of this character in which the steel or iron bar or rod will be carried directly around against the wall of the concave upon an anti-friction rolling support, whereby all liability to drag or slip will be positively precluded, and whereby the said bar or rod will be continuously rolled from the time it enters the concave to the time it leaves the same.

The invention has for a still further object a machine of this type wherein the supporting rollers upon which the iron or steel bar or rod are adapted to rest, will be caused to continuously roll by positive driving means, as will be hereinafter more fully specified.

Another object of the invention is a machine of this type wherein the provision of these bar or rod supporting rollers will in itself insure that all scale and the like will be automatically carried away and not interfere with the formation of the desired part or parts.

As subsidiary objects of the invention, it aims to provide a machine of this type in which any desired number of supporting rollers may be provided, and in which sai rollers may be mounted in an adjustable manner so that the same rollers mav be used with cylindrical rods or bars of varying diameters. And the invention also aims to generally improve machines of thischaracter so as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

\Vith these and other objects in view, as will more fullv appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thedetails of construction, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter more fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following descri tion and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a metal rolling machine embodying the im- Fig. 2'is a Fig. 3

provements of my invention. front elevation thereof (Sheet is a side elevation of the revoluble support or carriage for the work supporting rolls, the rolls being also shown. Fig. 4 (Sheet 1) shows a blank or bar as it would appear before being treated in the machine, and a car axle formed therefrom.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in all of the views of the accompanying drawings by like reference characters.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated only so much of the Patent No. 566,701, hereinbefore referred to, which, in connection with the following description, will be sufficient to enable anyone skilled in the art to which this appertains to thoroughly understand this invention and the manifest improvements that it comprises, so that reference may be also had to the above named patent itself for any details of construction not herein described and shown, and in the accompanying drawing, the numeral l designates the concave of the machine which includes a die made up of any desired number of segmental sections 2 the operative faces of which are so formed as to produce the desired shape in the iron or steel rod or bar to be treated in the ma chine. The concave may be secured in any desired way to a firm and suitably strong foundation or casing 3.

Mounted in front of the concave 1 and spaced therefrom, as shown, so as to produce a space or pass 4, for the iron or steel rod or bar to be treated in the machine, is a revoluble support 5, which is mounted to turn about its longitudinal and horizontally disposed axis in suitable bearings formed in the end walls of the casing 3 and which is driven or operated by any desired means. This revoluble support 5 may be of any desired size, shape and formation, and either comprises a substantially solid structure of cylindrical form or a framework of any desired character just so long as it is sufficiently strong to support the parts which it carries and which will be hereinafter more fully described. In the present instance, the revoluble support 5 is shown in the form of a cylinder provided with heads 6, although as just above indicated, the lHVQIIt-lOll is not at all limited in this regard and it is also shown as being provided between said heads with any desired number of peripheral and preferably curved recesses 7, there being two of these recesses in the present instance disposed in substantially diametric relation to each other. Each of the recesses 7 is designed to accommodate work supporting rollers 8 which, in the present embodiment of the invention, are arranged in pairs, as shown. and which are designed to support between them, as clearly illustrated in the drawing, the rods or bars 9 of steel that are to be formed into car axles or other devices,

according to the shape of the concave 1 and the dies which form a part thereof.

In the present instance, the shafts 10 of the Work supporting rollers 8 are extended at one end and on their extensions carry spur pinions 11 which mesh with the teeth of a stationary rack 12 which is secured in any desired way within the casing 3 Whereby as the revoluble support 5 turns in the clock-wise direction illustrated in Fig. 1, the work supporting rollers 8 will also be rotated about their axes in the same clockwise direction as they are carried around by the said revoluble support, the speed of rotation of the rollers 8 being determined, as occasion'may require, or as experiments or judgment may dictate and being varied, as is manifest, by changing the ratio between the rack bar 12 and the spur pinions 11.

From as much of the description as has preceded, it will be understood that as the revoluble support 5 is rotated, the steel or iron rod or bar to be treated in the machine is placed between and upon the work su porting rollers 8 at the front and top of ,t 1e machine, and is thereby carried into contact with the die which, according to the shape of the latter, will form a car axle or any other part desired, and it will be obvious that as the rod or bar 9 contacts with the concave face of the die, it will be rolled continuously around in the pass 4; and, owing to the revoluble nature of the work supporting rollers 8, friction will be reduced to a minimum, and it Will be absolutely insured that the rod or bar will be continuously rolled and not allowed to slip or caused to drag to any extent whatever. Thus all liability of any malformation or other defects will be precluded, and the work will come out of the bottom of the machine in perfect condition. Besides, as the rollers 8 are slightly spaced from each other, they will permit scale to drop therebetween and be discharged from the machine without interfering with the proper operation of the apparatus. By having a plurality of these work supporting rollers around the periphery of the revoluble support or carriage 5, it is obvious that the capacity of the machine will be increased and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular number of these rollers. Preferably thrust members 13 are interposed between the bottom walls of the recesses 7 and the work supporting rollers 8, and preferably the boxes 14 in which the shafts 10 of the work supporting rollers 8 are carried, are made adjustable in the heads 6 in a circumferential direction, as shown, so that by shifting the rollers 8 away from each other or slightly toward each other, larger or smaller rods or bars may be taken care of in the machine without removal or substitution of any parts.

It will thus be seen, that I have provided a very simple, durable and eflicient construction of machine for shaping iron or steel by rolling same, and that by the use of the work supporting rollers perfect and uniform articles will be produced; and it will also be seen that with the use of a machine of this character, different sizes of axles or other shapes can be made in the same machine by simply changing the centers of the worr supporting rolls, for each set of rolls is independent of the other or others. Furthermore, it is to be particularly noted that in the patent hereinbefore referred to, the machine is of such a character that there are only two points of contact or suspension between the concave or die on the one hand, and the large heavy roll or revoluble support on the other hand, so that there is a tendency, in case of a slip or drag, for the metal to assume an oval or elliptical form in cross-section, which did result in a per manent malformation of the bar at the middle or center thereof, and resulted also in the opening up of the metal whereby the finished axles were defective and practically useless. In contradistinction to this, it will be seen that my invention provides means whereby the cylindrical bar or rod to be formed into an axle, for example, is sup ported by the rollers 8 and the die 2, with a three-point contact which points are substantially equi-distant from each other, thereby insuring at all times a symmetrical and perfectly round formation of the bar, and positively precluding all liability of the defects or deformations just above referred to.

While the accompanying drawings illustrate what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangements and propor tions of the parts, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

WVhat is claimed, is

1. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a revoluble carrier mounted in spaced relation thereto, and work supporting rollers carried by said carrier, for the purpose specified.

' mounted on said carrier.

4. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a revoluble carrier disposed in spaced relation thereto, work supporting rollers journaled on said carrier, and means for positively imparting a revoluble movement to said rollers as they are moved around by the carrier.

5. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a revoluble carrier mounted in spaced relation thereto to produce a pass for the metal to be rolled, work supporting rollers journaled in said carrier, pinions carried by said rollers, and a stationary rack meshing with said pinions, for the purpose specified.

6. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a revoluble carrier mounted in spaced relation to the concave to produce a pass for the metal to be rolled, a pair of work supporting rollers journaled on said carrier, and means whereby said rollers may be adjusted on the carrier so as to provide for supporting work of different diameters.

7. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a cylindrical revoluble carrier mounted in spaced relation thereto to provide a ass for the metal to be rolled, said carrier eing formed in its periphery with a longitudinally extending recess, and work supporting rollers mounted in said recess, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A machine of the character described, including a concave, a revoluble carrier mounted in spaced relation to the concave, and formed in its periphery with a longitudinally extending recess, a pair of work supportin rollers journaled in said recess, and anti-friction elements mounted in said recess and engaging said rollers, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DAVID A. CLARK.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

